Smile for You
by OutlastTheDark
Summary: (Under rewrite process.) Eiji was a nobody. Nothing more than face in the crowd. So why the heck had he suddenly found himself the personal bodyguard for one of the most famous idol groups in the world! (Modern Day AU, Eiji x Yuna.)
1. Chapter 1: Moonlit Black Cats

**Okay. I know what you're thinking. "Oh good, Derithimus/New Outlast has gone and made another story." And yes. I have...**

 **...I hope you're not waiting for an excuse, because I don't have one. All I have is a problem.**

 **But in all seriousness I was just updating 'A Second Chance' with the new character pairings and such, when I noticed that no stories on the site are registered as being a true Eiji X Yuna story, which is just heartbreaking, and since I'm on vacation I figured I'd take a crack at filling that particular hole in the fic zone! Enjoy!**

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Smile for You Chapter 1: The Moonlit Black Cats

* * *

 _"A soulmate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit our locks. When we feel safe enough to open those locks, our truest selves step out and we can be completely and honestly who we are; we can be loved for who we are and not for who we're pretending to be. Each unveils the best part of the other. No matter what else goes wrong around us, with that one person, we're safe in our own paradise." – Richard Bach_

* * *

 **"And that's it for the show! Thank you all for such an amazing night! Each and every one of you are awesome!"**

Yuna could feel it as she finished the last few steps in her routine. The energy of the crowd hitting her with the force of a jet engine. It exhilarated her, it energized her. All these people all cheering for her and the two other girls that stood beside her. Cheers that drowned out even the humongous speakers which projected her voice around the massive stadium.

It was a high unlike any other.

With a confident smile, Yuna shot a ginger into the air, watching as a few strands of her silver hair flitted into the air along with it, dancing around her hand and down her costume covered arm like silvered water flowing down a rocky stream.

 **"Before we go, let us here you one more time! Who are your favorite girls this side've the world?!"**

At this a chorus of cheers erupted through the stadium all chanting ' _Moonlit Black Cats_ ' as if caught in a trance.

 **"Thank you all! Goodnight!"**

Even as Yuna slowly made her way offstage, leaving the two remaining group members to say their own goodbyes, she could still feel the euphoric glee that came to her at the end of a show. Knowing that thousands- no, tens of thousands of people had come just to see them sing... It was simply amazing.

Even through the precipice which led backstage Yuna could still hear the throngs of fans chanting for her and her friends. Singing and dancing on stage for hours was certainly tiring, but to have so many people so happy because of them...

Well, quite frankly, to her it was worth it.

"And there's the lead Moonlit Cat now!" The practiced and confident voice of a nearby news reporter, whom had no doubt been granted access backstage as a member of the media, drowned out the cheering of crowds for but a moment as Yuna glanced up to find several cameras zeroed in her direction. The female reporter quickly broke through the ring of lenses, nearly charging at the idol as she called out to her, "Wait! Miss Yuna! Could we get a word?!"

"Oh, absolutely!" Yuna quickly adopted a confident tone of her own as she gave the woman a kind smile, "You look gorgeous tonight!"

"We all watched you three on stage tonight; you were like machines!" The reporter asked, clearly ignoring the compliment as a microphone was shoved in front of the song enchantress' face, "What was it like up there?"

" _Amazing_! If you thought we had energy you should've seen what we did! You all were so pumped, we loved it!"

"Sounds like you had a blast! Do you have anything to say to your fans?"

"Only that I hope you all had as much fun as I did tonight, but from what I saw I don't think I'll have to hope too hard!" Yuna giggled.

She heard a loud cheer build in the background as the remaining two band members appeared behind her. The first a chestnut haired girl dressed in red and white and a dark blue haired girl dressed in a light teal skirt that served to excentuate her almost puppy-dog-like demeanor.

Yuna felt her lips twinge with the latest rush of glee to hit her brain. Even when doing something as mundane as answering questions for a live-streaming reporter, they had the support of their fans to carry them through.

"A huge thanks from all the Cats for such an amazing show tonight!" The chestnut haired girl, Asuna the oldest and tallest of the trio, was the first to speak up, "We were so excited to preform for you all tonight!"

"We can't wait to come back sometime soon!" The other girl, a petite little thing that was easily the shortest of the group, added with a whoop of her own, though she clearly held less gusto than her fellow members.

"Yep!" Yuna exclaimed as she laid a hand on each of the other member's shoulders, "Like Sachi here said, we can't wait to come back, and don't you worry because that'll be real soo-..."

Yuna wasn't exactly sure if she ever actually finished her sentence. All she could focus on was the sudden sensation of something slamming against her shoulder-blades with the force of a punch.

The pain didn't register at first, though that soon changed as she turned her head to what she assumed to be the source of the impact, only to come face to face with a man heavyset who looked to be in his early twenties, clutching at a piece of bloody black cloth so tightly his knuckles had turned ghostly white.

Was that... _Hers_?...

The next few moments were a chaotic mess. The sounds of a struggle echoed behind her as clear as a bell as she found herself suddenly being supported by her two band mates, who both looked as if they were less than enthused by the situation.

It happened so quickly she wasn't entirely sure it hadn't been her own mind playing tricks on her. A side effect of the dehydration she was no doubt suffering after dancing around on stage for so long.

No, no it couldn't have been. The man on the floor, pinned under several enraged venue security guards... He was looking at her, screaming a mix of expletives and compliments her way.

"S-sorry about that everyone!" Yuna forced out a laugh as she turned back to the cameras trained on her, using Asuna and Sachi to remain stable, despite the pain in her back attempting to push itself to the forefront of her mind, "Don't worry, we'll be back in town real soon, you can count on that! But until then, make sure the world can see those Moonlit Smiles!"

At this she tilted her head to the side, looping her arms around her two partners to point at her sideways smile, mentally willing herself to hold out against the pain for just a little longer.

Unfortunately a little longer was no more than a few moments. Another twinge hit her as the reporter gave her a wary glance. Ah, damn... There was definitely something warm running down her back...

"Did you have anymore questions?" Yuna asked as the realization hit her that this interview was over, further questions or no, "I'm sure if there are any more my two friends can answer-..."

" _N-no_! No, go on. Have a good night Miss Shigemura!"

"Thanks! You too!..."

Moments later Yuna was being half lead half carried deeper backstage, where the dressing rooms lay. Unfortunately the others couldn't keep up the admittedly impressive display of strength they had put on, and where forced to sit Yuna down on a nearby folding chair where the silver haired girl collapsed, blinking up at the ceiling as Asuna's voice assaulted her eardrums.

"Yuna! Are you okay?!"

"Uh, yeah... Yeah, I think so..."

"Check the wound, is it bleeding?!" It was Sachi's voice that time, and it certainly sounded less than calm.

Of course the girl couldn't be blamed, as calm was the last thing Yuna became as she suddenly felt someone lifting her hair away from her back, along with the fresh stinging sensation of cool air slapping against the open wound, which elicited a hiss of pain echoing from between her clenched teeth.

"Yeah, she's bleeding!" Asuna confirmed as she began to pull Yuna's hair into a messy bun, "Where's the paramedic?!"

" _No_!... No I'm fine! Really!" Yuna, now quite awake, desperately pleaded as she attempted to free herself from Asuna's grasp, only to relent when her friend gave her hair a soft warning tug.

"People who are fine don't have blood dripping down their back!"

"It's just a scratch!"

"Yuna?! _Yuna_?!" The panicked cries of her father powered over whatever Asuna had said in response to her latest protests, "Where's my daughter?!"

Oh, great. Just what she needed.

A moment later a middle aged man in a rather plain looking, though clearly expensive, brown business suit burst through the mess of people rushing to and fro as everyone attempted to locate the paramedics.

"Yuna! Pumpkin, are you hurt?!"

"No Dad, it was just-..." Yuna was cut off as a rather tall man covered from head to toe in red and white overalls burst through the crowd.

In only a moment he was by Yuna's side, examining the wound hastily.

"Miss Yuuki, can you keep holding Miss Shigemura's hair up?" The paramedic asked as he began fishing around in his bag.

"I'm just finishing up the bun-..." Asuna mumbled as she secured the matted hair in place with one of her own hair ties, "There! It'll stay out of the way now."

The paramedic quickly went to work on Yuna's shoulder, his fingers dancing around the wound as he wiped away the blood from her injury. It was clear despite the considerable speed at which he was working that he was attempting to avoid causing the girl any further discomfort.

"Did he use a knife or something?!" Sachi asked as she observed the paramedic work.

"No, it's a pretty rough laceration, and it's imprecise." Yuna felt the paramedic tapping the skin against her neck, "It was probably a key. It looks like he was trying to cut her costume, not her."

"You're saying some sick pervert hurt my daughter over a few scraps of cloth?!"

"Seems so Mister Shigemura..." The paramedic confirmed with a small sigh, "Don't worry, it's not a deep wound. It'll heal in a week or two, and she'll be able to hide it under her hair until it's cleared up."

With that the man went back to work in silence, leaving an aura of awkwardness to permeate the surrounding air.

It was thankfully Asuna who broke that uncomfortable silence, kneeling next to Yuna as the on site paramedic began wrapping the wound with an antiseptic bandage and gauze.

"Yuna?..."

"Uh huh?..."

"I know you hate the idea, but I think-..." Asuna found herself hesitating for a moment, already knowing the reaction she would no doubt receive, "...I think we need reconsider getting more bodyguards..."

"What?!... Asuna, it was one crazy fan!" And there was that reaction. Yuna's eyes quickly grew in panic as she glanced up to find her father nodding along in agreement.

"I have to agree with Asuna pumpkin... You three are the stars of the world right now, there's no reason to suspect something like this won't happen again, especially considering he attacked you on live TV, which means copycats will know you walk around with lax security."

"But Dad!-..."

"No buts. A personal bodyguard would've been able to stop an out of shape man like him without a problem. As it is, security has been far too lax..." The older man shook his head sadly, "Honestly you should've had personal guards months ago... It was my fault for neglecting the idea for such a long time."

Yuna's rather twisted expression clearly expressed the distain she held for the idea, "But it was _one_ fan!..."

"Relax pumpkin... I think you'll like having someone like that around. You have been mentioning your lack of friends recently..."

"Bodyguards are hardly friends..."

Mister Shigemura clicked his tongue. His daughter certainly had a thing for interacting with her fans. It was what had driven her to deny the idea of a personal bodyguard months ago. She would always say a bodyguard was just another wall between her and her fans.

Somehow she found that to be a bad thing, and why that was Mister Shigemura would never know.

"How about this for a compromise... You'll get the final say on your guard. How's that sound? You can pick whoever you want, that way they won't just be another face in the crowd."

Yuna wasn't a fool. Her having the final say? Hardly. Her father wouldn't allow just anyone.

"I'm fine though..." She attempted to plead one final time, though this time it wasn't her father to reprimand her, but Sachi of all people.

"This time... You were lucky the normal venue security was so on top of things. That could've been bad-... Like really bad." The short haired girl murmured as she knelt before Yuna next to Asuna, adopting her famous 'puppy dog stare'. "Please Yuna? Is a bodyguard really such a big deal?..."

Yuna sighed. None of them were going to let this go were they? "Fine... I guess not."

"Let's find you three some bodyguards then... And don't worry Pumpkin, I promise you-..." Mister Shigemura began as he rested his hand on his daughter's uninjured shoulder...

* * *

 _"You'll get only the best..."_

*Achoo!*

"Ew! Eiji, you ass!"

"Oh shut up. Can you just help Kazuto and I with this tire already?!..."

"Yeah, yeah..."

* * *

 **So what do you think? Should I continue this little side story here? Let me know what you thought, but until next time, Happy Writing everyone!**


	2. Chapter 2: The Beaters

**Well, this was certainly updated faster than my usual stories. Joys of being on holiday I suppose. Anyway, hope you enjoy the latest chapter!**

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Smile for You Chapter 2: The Beaters

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"We're out of ramen."

Those were the first words Eiji Nochizawa heard as he yanked open the half rusted door to the old dilapidated camper van that served as his home.

"Huh?"

"We're. Out. Of. Ramen."

Eiji's eyes crawled at a painfully slow pace towards the origin of the voice. He knew what he would find at the source, yet still found himself suppressing the urge to groan when he found a short blonde haired young woman sitting on the floor in the back of the camper next to the couch, surrounded by a cocoon of blankets. She was dressed in no more than a plain t-shirt and old shorts, and was using her fingers to scoop out the last remaining traces of flavoring from a long empty ramen noodle cup.

"...Are you serious?"

"Mmhm." The blonde girl mumbled as she carelessly tossed the empty container in the corner, where a small collection of noodle cup carcasses lay like some sort of disgusting snack food graveyard, "Kii-boy and I just ate the last of it."

"Correction; Nezumi ate the last of it. I just told her it was a bad idea." Another young man with short black hair mumbled from the other side of the camper van, where he sat lounging on the bed resting above the drivers seat, fiddling with his phone.

"So?-..."

"So we're out of food." The blonde haired girl, Nezumi, shrugged.

"Yeah, I get that, thanks." Eiji grumbled, "But now what?"

"Whaddya mean 'now what'? We starve in a few days, that's what." She replied with an overly dramatic whine while rubbing at her grumbling stomach. A stomach which had eaten nothing but ramen in the last week.

"A few days?! I'm sorry, did Kazuto or I eat the last of the food?!" Eiji snapped, slamming the camper's door behind him, "We haven't eaten since Sunday! Try tomorrow!"

"Hey! I gotta get enough nutrients!" Nezumi hissed, pulling herself to her feet, "I'm the brains of this whole operation!"

"What operation?! We're three idiots living out of a van!" Eiji found himself nearly yelling before he caught himself, taking a few moments to absorb the respite of silence before mumbling; "Where the hell do you even put it all?..."

"Like she said-... Her ego." Kazuto interjected.

"Yeah, ha ha ha, look at the computer geek eatin' ramen. Let's all laugh like idiots as we die of starvation."

"We?"

"Whatever..."

With their latest spat finished, Nezumi lazily flopped back into her blanket cocoon, reaching around for a moment before producing a relatively old looking tablet.

"What're you doing?"

"I wanna check out the MBC Aftershow before we die at least..." Nezumi said as her fingers danced around the screen of the tablet with such grace and speed that even if Eiji tried he was relatively sure he wouldn't be able to keep up with her movements with the unaided eye alone.

"MBC?"

"Moonlit Black Cats?" Nezumi clarified, "Their biggest concert of the season was today. I wanna watch the aftershow."

"Why? You barely give a damn about music."

"Yeah. But have you ever seen them?! That Asuna one is hot!" Nezumi exclaimed as she continued to type away furiously, "I mean none of them are bad on the eyes though, even Sachi. She's like the cool mysterious type, and then there's the lead-..."

"Okay, we get it." Eiji rolled his eyes. Despite being the only female of the group, he had no doubt Nezumi was the most hormonally driven of the trio, "But how are you even watching? We don't have internet."

"You're right. _We_ don't."

Eiji paused, raising an eyebrow as he strolled over to the couch, throwing himself onto it with little care, "...You still leaching WiFi from the coffee place?"

"You still takin' showers at the local fast food joint?" Nezumi shot back without even bothering to glance back at the young man, continuing to tap away on her tablet like a madwoman.

"Yeah. Aren't you?"

"..." Nezumi was silent.

"...When did you last shower?!"

" _Shhh_! It's startin'!"

True to her word, a moment later the tablet's screen sprung to life, displaying the ever so recognizable form of the Moonlit Black Cats' headlining member and face of the group.

Yuna Shigemura.

Even after dancing and singing like a madwoman for what had no doubt been hours judging by the rate at which her chest was rising and falling, even Eiji had to admit that she had something of an otherworldly beauty.

Beautiful. That was a good word to describe her.

Her shimmering white hair seemed to almost glow as it lay in contrast to her black and red dance costume that itself also seemed as if it originated from another world entirely. It was noticeably skin tight, leaving little doubt as to just how in shape the young woman was, and was made up of a short shoulderless skirt that exposed skin in a multitude of places, along with a pair of boots that seamlessly transferred up into leggings that very nearly reached her hips.

How she wasn't embarrassed to be seen in public like that Eiji just wasn't sure.

" _And there's the lead Moonlit Cat now!_ " An unseen reporter's voice echoed from the tablet, " _Miss Yuna, could we get a few words?!_ "

" _Oh, absolutely_!" Yuna exclaimed as she turned to someone just out of the camera's view, " _You look absolutely gorgeous!_ "

 _"We all watched you three on stage tonight; you were like machines! What was it like up there?"_

Nezumi snickered at the humorous off guard expression Yuna wore for but a fraction of a second, "Denied."

" _Amazing! If you thought we had energy you should've seen what we did!_ " The white haired girl clapped her hands together, turning her attention to the camera, as if addressing a crowd. _"You all were so pumped, we loved it!"_

"She recovers quick, I'll give her that..." It was Kazuto who spoke up now, causing Eiji to snap his attention to the black haired boy, who now sat just next to him.

When had he found the energy to drag himself over to watch this? And why hadn't Eiji registered him sitting beside him at all?

Huh, strange.

" _Sounds like you had a blast!"_ The unseen reporter let out laugh that couldn't have sounded more manufactured if a robot had attempted it, _"Do you have anything to say to your fans?"_

" _Only that I hope you all had as much fun as I did tonight, but from what I saw I don't think I'll have to hope too hard!"_ Yuna giggled.

Eiji found himself cracking a smile. Yuna's bubbly personality was practically overwhelming compared to that reporter.

His thoughts were soon diverted as two new faces appeared on camera, both flanking either side of Yuna.

One was a chestnut haired girl dressed in an almost regal fashion, the stark white and red clothing giving her the look of some form of modern day Templar, minus the skirt she wore of course. And templaric was certainly a way to describe the way the girl carried herself. While she probably stood only a few inches taller than the other two girls, her confident posture and commanding tone certainly gave her a seemingly larger than life presence.

The other was decidedly less bold in terms of both appearance and demeanor. She was the shortest of the three, with dark blue hair that wasn't much longer than Nezumi's, though this girl's was certainly much more well-kempt. Her clothes also reflected her more reserved aura. While she wore a skirt like the other girls, hers was certainly more modest, and instead of patches of exposed skin dotting her outfit here and there like her companions, she instead wore what appeared to be an ornate breastplate of all things.

 _"A huge thanks from all the Cats for such an amazing show tonight!_ " The chestnut haired girl was the first to speak, " _We were so excited to preform for you all tonight!"_

"Oooh, hey Kii-boy. Check out the one in white; _that's_ Asuna!" Nezumi purred lecherously, "See? Told you it'd be worth it!..."

"Whatever you say..." Kazuto sighed, clearly uninterested in entertaining Nezumi's antics.

Unfortunately for him, Nezumi was hardly one to give up when the opportunity to torment Kazuto or Eiji presented itself.

"Oh come on!" She exclaimed, "Don't tell me you wouldn't throttle your rooster to that face!"

"Shut up, Rat!..." Kazuto growled.

"Hey, I don't judge. If you gotta do it, that's the sort of girl you should think abouuu-... _Ow!_ Ow, ow, ow! Uncle, _uncle_!"

Eiji rolled his eyes as he watched Kazuto yank Nezumi's ear roughly before refocusing on the broadcast, willing himself to ignore the sounds of scuffling beside him.

" _Like Sachi here said, we can't wait to come back,_ " It was Yuna speaking again.

Despite holding little to no knowledge of band structure or hierarchy, it was certainly clear to Eiji why the white haired girl was the face of the band.

The other girls spoke as well as anyone could be expected to in their positions, but something about Yuna was certainly different to him. He couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Was it her outfit? No. No that wasn't it. It was certainly unique, and not something you'd normally wear in the public eye, but aside from sporting some more comparatively playful elements in it's design it wasn't any more special than the outfit that Asuna girl sported.

Was it her naturally unusual appearance? Maybe. After all, how many girls in the world could boast having naturally silvery white hair and ruby red eyes that glittered in the light? Certainly not anyone Eiji could claim to know.

Or perhaps was it just that next to her infectiously positive personality anyone else would appear virtually lifeless in comparison?

" _And don't you worry because that'll be real soo-..."_

Eiji almost hadn't registered Yuna's little speech had been interrupted until Nezumi threw her arms up and loudly exclaimed; "Woah! Holy crap! Five bucks on the fat dude!"

"Nezumi!"

" _Aw_! Stupid security!..."

"What's wrong with you?"

"Pfff..."

Eiji's mind barely registered his friends bickering. All he could seem to focus on was the sight of a heavyset man sporting a 'MBC' t-shirt being dragged away on his knees by security as he screamed manically. Possibly something about 'finally getting it', Eiji couldn't be sure.

All he could be sure about was that the sight... Unsettled him, and not to any small degree.

" _S-sorry about that everyone! Don't worry, we'll be back in town real soon, you can count on that! But until then, make sure the world can see those Moonlit Smiles!"_

With that the image of Yuna on the screen tilted her head visibly and smiled brightly, pointing to her mouth in a not so subtle reference to a crescent moon. The pain in her expression was clear, despite her obvious attempt to conceal it.

That smile was gone a moment later, replaced by a black screen as Nezumi cut off connection the broadcast.

In that screen Eiji was able to see his own expression; and it wasn't happy.

"...And a 'thwap' goes the idea machine..." Nezumi mumbled as she idly slid her tablet back into her blanket cocoon.

"Idea machine? Oh, that thing that's gotten us run outta town before?" Kazuto asked

"Shhh, quiet..." Nezumi shot a hand in Kazuto's direction, pressing her finger against his lips, "The brains of the operation just realized what operation it's runnin'..."

"...Go on?..." Eiji asked.

"Bodyguards!"

"..."

"..."

"...Bodyguards!" Nezumi repeated, throwing her hands into the air.

"You're drunk."

"I'm not drunk!"

"Then you're high."

"I'm not high! Think about it! Bodyguards make a killin'!"

"Yeah, but only because that's exactly what could happen to them on the job." Eiji jabbed his thumb towards Nezumi's tablet, "You saw what just happened there. That Yuna chick just took it to the back of the head. You know we'd have to be the one's getting in the way of that right?"

"Hey! _Hey_! I'm not sayin' we gotta look for some crazy overseas diplomat protection service! We're in LA!"

"Yeah. LA. I'll bet no one in LA has _ever_ tried to get into the bodyguard buisness before." He replied with an exaggerated eye roll.

"Well okay, all the big stars already got themselves a freakin' army of guys, but you never know, there might be a small time star or two that wouldn't mind beefin' up your resumes a little! What's the worst that could happen?"

"We get blown off as complete amateurs with nothing to show for ourselves besides two half starved drop outs, a girl with an ego problem, and a van that looks like it's about ready to give in for good?"

"And?..."

"Our reputation would be dead in the water before we've even landed our first job." Eiji mumbled as he pulled himself to his feet, shuffling over to the driver's seat.

"Details."

"No! Not details! I don't wanna die of malnutrition!" The brown haired young man exclaimed as he turned back to face the girl.

"Then go land us a job you dweeb!"

"Okay-... Before we start this again..." Kazuto interjected quickly, "Say we even get our foot in the door... What'll we even call ourselves?"

"Already got it covered!" Nezumi shot her fists triumphantly in the air once more, her grin wild and wide, "Look out world, cuz The Beaters are back!"

"You can't be serious..."

"Completely."

"Don't you think that's tempting fate?"

"Not at all."

At that very moment, as if the universe itself decided to test the girl's mettle, the unmistakable sound of hissing hit the group's ears.

"What was that?..." Nezumi mumbled, though a small part of her already knew the unfortunate answer.

"That-... That would be the sound of fate rupturing our tire..."

"Great..."


	3. Chapter 3: The Interview

**Author PSA of the Day: Don't do what Eiji and Kazuto do at the beginning of the chapter. Things will happen to your stomach, most of which aren't fun. Enjoy!**

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Smile for You Chapter 3: The Interview

* * *

 _"A soul mate is not found. A soul mate is recognized." – Vironika Tugaleva_

* * *

"Do you think it's still okay?" Eiji felt his stomach do a flip as he stared down at the shiny round object resting in his lap, his hand hovering over the lose end of foil that made up the ovular package.

"It _should_ be..." Kazuto gave the sachet an experimental poke, "The plastic's still on."

"Yeah, but it was sitting next to that bag filled with I don't even now what."

How the hell has it come to this?

On their way to the interview they'd spotted the dumpster behind the local fast food place.

What was strange or even significant about that? For most people, nothing. It was little more than a dumpster.

But for Eiji and Kazuto? It was, unfortunately, their lunch ticket.

Nothing like feeling like a scavenging crackhead to boost confidence before an interview, Eiji thought as he suppressed the urge to gag on the smell of cold fast food.

"Dumpster food comes with risks dude. If you don't want your half, I'll eat it." Kazuto threatened halfheartedly, leaning back in the old waiting room chair that groaned loudly in protest to the young man's actions, as if it was ready to pay his audacious stretching with a one way trip to a splinter covered floor.

"Nice try Kirigaya, I'm eating. I don't care if it's covered in sand and pig blood at this point, I'm eating."

"Then open it!..."

"I'm _trying_ you f-..." Eiji's fingers finally found purchase, pulling away the film with ease and exposing what lay inside of the foil shell. Disgust didn't even begin to cover how he felt as he gazed down at the bag of what was likely week old french fries and moldy ketchup staring back at him, "Oh..."

"Is that mold, or are they supposed to be green?" Kazuto asked, his nose scrunching, "And I'm guessing that smell is the ketchup?..."

"This is just unholy..."

"Yup." The black haired young man agreed without a moment's hesitation.

Their hushed complaints were soon drowned away as the door to the tiny bland waiting room swung open, revealing several suit clad individuals who walked into the room with an authoritative tone that neither Eiji nor Kazuto could hope to match with week old french fries resting in their laps.

One man in particular soon passed by them, nearly knocking over their fries in the process with his bag as he attempted to shuffle past.

"Oh. Sorry boys." The man mumbled as he passed by, only to stop short as he glanced down at the two, "...Are those dumpster fries?"

Kazuto sighed, "Yup..."

"Right on!... I remember havin' to eat those." The man chuckled, giving a thumbs up, "Nothin' better."

Before Eiji or Kazuto could think to respond to the man's quip however, he suddenly adopted a serious, almost somber expression.

"Hey, hold up... You guys?-..." He trailed off as he slowly held his arm aloft, revealing an out of place metal bracelet that reflected ever so subtly in the harsh light of the room. It was midnight black, with the engraved image of a small floating castle upon it's surface.

Eiji and Kazuto found their respective gazes trailing down to their own wrists where the same bracelets lay, barely visible under the sleeves of their shirts.

Kazuto was the first of the two up speak up, though his voice reached barely above a whisper, "Yup..."

"Shit." The man shook his head with a near inaudible sigh, "You just hold up..."

Kazuto and Eiji could only gaze on quizzically as the man began to rummage through a laptop bag hanging loosely from his waist.

Moments later, much to Eiji and Kazuto's combined surprise, he produced what appeared to be a packet of of cheese spread, "Here. Make your meal a little less deadly."

"Thanks." Kazuto accepted the packet with a relieved smile, "You're a lifesaver."

Kazuto chuckled in appreciation, giving a nod to the man, "You too."

"Don't mention it. Good luck boys." The man gave a nod of his own to the two before turning to rejoin the remainder of the group of suits that had all dispersed around the waiting room in small collections of 2 to 5 individuals

A few seconds of awkward silence passed before Eiji leaned over to Kazuto once the former was sure the kind man was out of earshot.

"Was that?..." Eiji mumbled into the other young man's ear.

"Yeah... I recognize the patches. He's definitely from Academi. And look at the others..." Kazuto's eyes danced around the other men and women in the room, his grimace growing with each person he passed, "Titan's Hand, DynCorp, The Salamanders... We're up against A-Class guys here."

"What the hell was Nezumi thinking sending us up against guys like this?..."

"More importantly, who the hell is it we're supposed to be guarding? Teams like this don't just step outta the shadows for anyone..." Kazuto pointed out.

Eiji has to agree. He was all too aware of the names that Kazuto had listen off. They were Private Security Contractors, and they were no joke. "Whoever this is, we've walked into a lion's den with steak around our necks, and it's all Nezumi's fault..."

"She's doing her best." Kazuto fell silent for a few moments as his gaze locked against the soulless white walls of the room, "Who knows, maybe our experience with 'it' will get us somewhere with this client."

"Or it'll make them think we're unstable psychopaths waiting for an excuse. No way, don't say a word."

"Fine... But you and I both know it'll check the whole 'combat experience required' box without a second thought..."

"Yeah, along with the 'likely to murder client' box..." Eiji shot back before popping a french fry into his mouth.

"Fine. We'll leave it alone, just hand me some ketchup would ya?" Kazuto mumbled.

"It's got someone's hair in it."

"Extra fiber."

"Fair."

"Eiji Nochizawa and Kazuto Kirigaya?" A voice cut above the idle chatter in the room, promoting the two aforementioned young men to pop their heads up like marmots.

In the doorway to the waiting room stood a man in a neatly pressed business suit that left little doubt as to how well off it's wearer was financially. He was rather tall, with shirt brown hair and a well kempt goatee, both of which were staring to grey, though whether that was due to age or stress neither Kazuto or Eiji could be sure.

He gazed down upon the two of them both from behind his thin rimmed spectacles with a face awash with a mix of boredom and fatigue. That look of fatigue was only compounded by the almost comically oversized cup of coffee in his grip. Obviously they weren't the first to be interviewed that day.

"Uh, here?" Eiji finally mumbled as he and Kazuto stood, quickly wrapping up what remained of their lunch.

"You two're up next." The man grumbled, the irritation in his tone clear, "Follow me please."

* * *

"So... You two are representing 'The Beaters'?..." The man asked as he took a seat behind a large mahogany desk, propping his chin on folded hands as he watched the two young men sitting before him like a hawk watching it's prey. "Is that right?"

"Yessir."

"Well, I suppose I should introduce myself. Professor Tetsuhiro Shigemura, though I'd prefer just Mister Shigemura."

"Kazuto Kirigaya." The young man in question motioned to his distracted friend, "And this is Eiji Nochizawa."

Both young men nodded along with their names, as if following a script, though Eiji soon found himself diverting from that script as his eyes darted around the office they found themselves in curiosity.

It was rather drab, all things considered. While it was obviously someone's personal office, it was quite clear that the person in question found little value in giving his workspace much personality past the ornate desk that sat in the middle of the room, facing Eiji like some sort of impassable mahogany fortress.

There were quite a few photo frames littering that desk, though each and every one was angled almost perfectly in order to keep their contents out of view of whomever found themselves sitting on the outside of the table.

"Hmm... You two seem... Young." Professor Shigemura's gruff voice jostled Eiji out of his little visual exploration session, prompting his eyes to dart back to the older man who gazed back upon he and Kazuto with suspicion.

"Young, Sir?" He asked cautiously.

"Exactly how _old_ are you two?"

"Oh; I'm 19, Eiji's 20."

"I see..." Mister Shigemura rapped a small stack of papers that lay innocently upon his desk; presumably the resumes the two had dropped off at the receptionist's desk when they had first arrived, "And it says here neither of you have any experience in this field?..."

"That's-... That's correct."

"Alright..." The professor took a moment to enjoy a sip of his coffee, though Eiji suspected it was for little more than dramatic effect on his part, "So then would you mind explaining what possessed you into thinking submitting an application for this position was a good idea?"

Neither Kazuto nor Eiji could produce a more complex response than a small shrug.

"Boys, I hope you can understand why I can't exactly say I've got a lot of faith in your abilities. You've come here with hardly anything to show for yourselves, and you aren't exactly the largest built of individuals, so you don't even have the intimidation factor in your corner."

Eiji and Kazuto glanced at each other. Oh well, they couldn't exactly blame the man for his lack of confidence.

"I get it boys, honestly I do, it's a chance to meet your idols. But don't you think this plan of yours boarders on being a bit _pathetic_?..."

Eiji raised an eyebrow. Idols? He had been under the impression that he and Kazuto would be guarding-... Well. Now that he thought about it he wasn't actually sure who or what they would be guarding.

"To be fair Mister Shigemura, we don't even know who it is we'll be guarding." Kazuto replied, thankfully vocalizing Eiji's thoughts.

"Are you serious?" The professor sighed, dipping his face into his hands in exasperation, "You didn't even bother to look through the details of the job before you came here?"

"No." Eiji interjected as he shook his head, "Our, uh-... Our coordinator just saw the details on a private security board site and figured it was a good place to start since it was so close."

"Then it's best you don't know who the client is then. Ignorance is bliss." The man readjusted himself in his chair as he took a moment to savor another long sip of coffee, "My bliss perhaps, but bliss none the less. As for the two of you though, I think it's about time for you to-..."

"Hey!" A new voice called out from the entrance to the office, prompting Eiji and Kazuto to whirl around in surprise as the door was suddenly flung open with the force of an angry gorilla.

And that was when he saw her.

She wasn't dressed in the same clothes she had worn on the stage that night. Instead she was donned a casual black and pink tank top with old grey sweatpants, which so heavily contrasted her stage outfit in style it was almost humorous. In fact, as far as Eiji could see, the only thing that remained of her on-stage outfit was her pinkish-red nail polish that almost perfectly matched the eyes gazing down upon the occupants of the room.

Even in this rather harsh light her silvery hair seemed to almost shimmer, with her white locks transitioning more than halfway down into a technicolor rainbow of pinks, blues, and purples.

"We're done practice." The girl exclaimed cheerily as she sauntered into the room with reckless abandon, either completely oblivious or uncaring as to the presence of the baffled Eiji and Kazuto, "Can I go get-..."

"Yuna!"

"Huh?"

A chestnut haired girl charged in seconds afterwards, she herself dressed in casual clothes. She quickly seized Yuna by the shoulders the moment she was through the doorway, though that grip was lost the moment she realized it was too little too late.

"I'm sorry Mister Shigemura! I tried to stop her but-..."

"It's-... It's fine Asuna... The cat's out of the bag either way at this point." Mister Shigemura sighed, tracing the rim of his mug with his finger, "No pun intended."

"Huh? Bag?" Yuna glanced behind to where Kazuto and Eiji sat, both boys looking completely lost as to the situation. " _Ohhh_! Sorry about that you guys!"

Now let no man or beast say that Eiji didn't have some tact. Sure, he was no gentlemen, but he knew just as well as the next guy when to keep his mouth shut.

Unfortunately Yuna's rather abrupt entrance had put whatever manners he could have claimed to possess in that one moment under lock and key as his voice seemed to escape before his brain could command his mouth to seal.

"...Aren't you that Yuna girl that took it to the back of the head on TV?"

"Yup! That'd be me! Don't worry though, it's healing up!" Yuna twirled around on her foot with grace that seemed ever present, even in such mundane circumstances, and lifted her hair up to expose a small scar resting on her right shoulderblade, marring her otherwise porcelain skin, "See? Just a few more weeks and I'll be good as new!"

"Yuna! _Please_!..." The professor groaned, catching the girl's attention.

"What's wrong?" The songstress in question asked innocently as she let go of her hair, allowing it to roll down her back, and once more Eiji was graced with a rainbow of colors dancing along the ends of Yuna's hair as it flitted past him, so close he would have sworn she was no more than a few inches from his face.

"You're interrupting the interviews!..."

"I mean... I guess but-... They might end up being the ones guarding us. What's wrong with a little meet'n greet?"

"Because they won't be. This particular interview is over."

"Yup!" Yuna confidently exclaimed as she jammed her thumb against her chest, "Because it's my turn to interview 'em now!"

"What?... Pumpkin-..."

"Hey. So you." Yuna wore a kind smile as she jabbed a manicured ginger towards Eiji, who immediately stood, "Can you me outside in 10 minutes?"

"Uh, sure?..." Eiji glanced over to Mister Shigemura for approval, only to watch as the man merely let out a tired sigh before jabbing his head in the general direction of a small steel door that presumably led outside.

"Just-... Just _go_. If this is how she plans to entertain herself then fine." Despite his calm tone, Mister Shiemura appeared as if he was about ready to burst a blood vessel, "It'll just give me time to interview the others without another interruption anyhow."

"What should I, uh?-..." Kazuto found himself awkwardly glancing around at the various occupants of the room, "Should I just go to the waiting room or?-.."

"It's fine. Just come with me!..." It was Asuna who volunteered as she gave Kazuto a dismissive wave, "Knowing Yuna, she'd just get annoyed if you showed up with your friend."

Kazuto offered a nod as he pulled himself to his feet, "Sure, if you don't mind-..."

"Not at all, I could use the company. Our other band mate is busy with promotional stuff today, so I don't really have anything to do."

Kazuto felt a smile crawl onto his face, though he suppressed it long enough to turn to his friend, "Hey Eiji, I'll meet you out front later?"

"Alright, see you soon."

With that Asuna and Kazuto wandered out of the room, almost instantly launching into a conversation about something or other as their voices disappeared down the hall.

Once he was sure Kazuto was gone and wouldn't be back, Eiji let out a nervous sigh. Well, guess it was time to face the girl that may very well soon become his employer.

So... Why exactly did it feel as if he was wandering into a meeting with destiny?


	4. Chapter 4: Survivor

Smile for You Chapter 4: Survivor

* * *

 **A reviewer just recently brought up a very good point; the ages of the characters. Honestly I hadn't realized I'd revealed Yuna was slightly younger than her canon self yet. Don't worry, I'm aware Yuna should be around 2-3 years older than Asuna and Sachi, but I wanted to keep them all 18 while keeping Kazuto and Eiji around a year or two older for two very specific reasons.**

 **The first is that many idol groups tend to start declining around the time the members of the band begin to hit their mid-20s unless they're really popular. Since I wanted to have the MBCs to be at a sort of high point in their career, I opted to shift Yuna's age back a few years to align with Asuna and Sachi.**

 **And** **as for Eiji and Kazuto-... Those memorial bracelets they were wearing? They're a little more important than they might first appear to be.**

* * *

Eiji found himself scanning the surrounding private garden he found himself in with a sense of awe bubbling in his gut. It was a quaint little grove, though how it could exist- No; thrive- in this bustling smog-choked metropolis was completely beyond the young man. In his experience it seemed as if even a potted plant couldn't survive more than a week in this overcrowded and polluted city, yet this garden-... Whomever had taken it upon themselves to care for this garden harbored a rare talent, that Eiji could say without a doubt.

Flowers enveloped his vision in an array of color that could have easily rivaled some abstract artists penultimate work, though Eiji was sure that no painting could rival the array of blues, purples, and whites that captured his attention.

Of course those colors didn't come from any flower.

"Hey! Over here!..." Yuna's voice chimed like a crystal bell over the distant sounds of traffic that, unfortunately, still reached Eiji's ears, even in this little alcove.

There she sat, in the very black, red, and pink costume he had seen her wearing only a day before, though she lacked the strange headband that sported speaker-like circles atop her head. They must have been a little too uncomfortable to justify being worn in such a casual setting, Eiji surmised as he approached the idol.

"Sorry for dragging you out here like this!..." Yuna's lips parted in laughter as she tilted her head in a playful, almost provocative fashion.

"It's uh, fine?..." Eiji found himself stuttering as he tentatively took a seat next to the silver haired woman, "What's with the wardrobe change?"

"Well-... Work!" Yuna offered a carefree shrug that only seemed to amplify her lighthearted expression, "I _am_ interviewing you after all!"

"...Ah."

It was only moments before a pregnant silence descended upon the two of them.

Ah, shit... She was expecting him to bombard her with questions wasn't he? Though to be fair to the idol, she probably had a habit of being thrust into conversations in which the other person had more than enough to carry the day.

"So... Do you listen to my music at all?" Yuna asked after an almost uncomfortably long silence, though somehow she possessed the willpower to keep the smile plastered prominently on her face.

"That's a requirement?"

"No, silly! I'm just curious!..."

"...Well no, sorry." Eiji admitted halfheartedly, "My partner's sister and her friends are fans though... I think."

"Okay!... Uh-..." Yuna's black skin tight boot tapped methodically against one of the wooden bench legs, "What's her name?"

"Sugu Kirigaya."

"Sugu... Sugu..." The white haired idol suddenly snapped her fingers as her eyes lit up, "You wouldn't happen to be referring to Suguha Kirigaya, the amateur athlete, would you?"

"...I am. How do you know that name?"

"She's a pretty heavy poster on our fan site, and I think she's responded to practically all of my Twitter posts!..."

"She'd have a conniption if she knew you knew her name." Eiji chuckled, "I'm surprised you care enough to pay attention to some frequent poster on your site though. Did she win a competition or something once?"

"I care about all my fans!" The idol stated proudly as she held a finger over Eiji's nose, almost tauntingly so, "Even the ones who aren't fans just yet!..."

"Mhm. So how do you really know?"

" _Aww_!... No fun..." Yuna puffed out her cheeks as she gave a playful pout, "She and her friends entered into this karaoke thing once. They didn't win, but I happened to see the video they sent in."

"Was this a few months ago?..."

"Mhm."

"Ah, crap..." Eiji's hand found his forehead as he felt himself wanting to shrink away in his seat, " _That_ video... Sugu 'n the Gang..."

"You know about it?" Yuna inquired, tilting her head.

"I was in it..." He admitted with no small amounts of horrified embarrassment lacing his words, "They had me holding the boom mic..."

"Woah, _what_?!"

Yuna whipped out her phone at a near superhuman speed and quickly began typing away on the touch screen, her thumbs moving wildly as she attempted to locate the video in question.

"Oh my God! You're right! There you are!" Yuna giggled as the video began to play on her screen. She jabbed her finger into the corner of the screen where a figure holding a boom mic indeed stood, an awkwardly confused expression adorning his face, "See? You are a fan!"

"Eh?!"

"Sent in a contest entry." Yuna hummed, giving him a playfully smug grin as she leaned over towards him, as if daring him to disagree, "You qualify by default."

"Uh huh." Despite the annoyance he should have felt at Yuna's insistence he instead found himself conceding the point as he merely shook his head with a calm grin adorning his face.

That calm moment was short lived however, and soon the awkward aura that had permeated the gardens only moments before returned with a vengeance.

Great. The one talking point that the gods of fate had practically handed to him on a silver platter, and he'd screwed it up royally.

What was he supposed to say to someone like this? 'Nice hair'? It wasn't like he'd been expecting to deal with arguably one of the biggest names in music. Truth be told he hadn't even thought he and Kazuto would make it far enough to meet their client, and even then, for that client to be someone like Yuna-...

"I'm, uh-..." Eiji practically felt his tongue twist inside of his mouth as his brain desperately fought to say something, anything, to this young woman sitting only a foot or so away, "I'm surprised your manager let you out here with me. Seems kinda counter productive to be searching for a guard while letting your VIP wander off with strangers."

"Oh, he's been watching us since we got out here."

"Huh?" Eiji's eyes shot open as all of his senses seemed to jump to attention, "How do you?-..."

Yuna wordlessly pointed up at the corner of the building, where a security camera pointed clearly in their direction, it's lens auto-adjusting itself every few seconds.

Ah, well. That certainly explained that, he thought. He was a fool to think she would be left alone with a stranger, he supposed. But-...

How hadn't he seen that? That should have stood out like a sore thumb for someone like him. Was he truly that distracted?

"...Ah."

"Yeah, don't worry. He's definitely protective..." Yuna nervously laughed and gave a dismissive wave, though the smile on her face soon evaporated regardless, "Sometimes overly so..."

"Not your fault." Eiji offered a soft chuckle of his own, "I'm guessing that's what that performance in his office was about?"

Yuna nodded kicking her feet against the pristine pavement that divided off the garden into neat little sections, "Sorry again for that, by the way. I kinda just wanted to get him back for being rude to you guys."

"Huh? You heard all that?"

"Mhm. Our dance studio is just next to the office you were in, and I heard him call you pathetic, so I just kinda-..." Yuna shrugged, her glowing smile returning like spring itself breaking through the melancholy of winter, "I just kinda went for it!"

"Hey, look at it this way; at least he gives a-..." Eiji felt his voice failing him as a sharp twinge suddenly rocked through his abdomen like a burning lance.

What was that about?...

He didn't feel amazing...

"Are... You okay?..."

"Yeah, yeah I just ate something uh-... Unusual."

"Ohhh. Yeah I had this weird smoothie the other day that-..." Eiji found himself glancing over in curiosity as Yuna's voice slowly trailed off, replaced by a curious; "Hey... What was that?"

And that was when the relative aching in his stomach turned into a full on knot, as no more than a few seconds after Yuna's question was imposed, her hand was wrapped gently around Eiji's wrist.

The young man felt himself freeze. Her skin, as he suspected, was almost baby smooth. It was a complete contrast to his own rough and worn hand. Like a swathe of pure Egyptian silk being dragged across dirty gravel of a muddy path.

"You're... A Survivor?..."

"How'd you?!-..."

Yuna's finger was on Eiji's wristband in a matter of moments.

Eiji let a long string of curses fly by in his head. No use hiding it now, he supposed, "Yeah... I am. Kazuto and I both are..."

At Eiji's reply Yuna's fascination finally boiled over for but a moment. Unfortunately that moment was just long enough for her to lean towards him and blurt out; "Really?! What was it like?"

"..."

"Oh! Shoot-... I forgot..." Yuna silently berated herself as she watched Eiji's expression visibly darken, "None of you like talking about it, huh?..."

"No. We _don't_..." Eiji affirmed, his voice low.

"Well we all have to have our secrets, right?" Yuna shrugged, her smile returning almost instantaneously, "Yours is safe, don't worry. Sorry if I-..."

"It's fine." Eiji interrupted, glancing over after a moment with a near silent; "...Thanks."

"Hey, speaking of secrets... I get we just met and all, but you don't mind doing me a favor, do you?"

"Hmm?"

"You don't really seem to care, so would it be okay if I just close my eyes for a few seconds?"

"Nah, I don't mind. Something up?" Eiji asked as Yuna leaned back against the wooden frame of the bench, letting her eyes drift shut as she let out a small sigh.

"Eh, it's just that today was supposed to be my day off after practice but given what happened at the concert a few days ago my Dad was dead set on getting us extra protection. Honestly I don't even want it... No offense."

"None taken." Eiji grinned, "Wait. Did you say your Dad? I thought we were being interview by Mister Shigemur-... Ahh.. Duh."

"Yep, you met my Dad." Yuna confirmed, "He's our manager. Don't worry, he's a nice guy once you get to know him, even if he is a little overbearing."

"I'll keep that in mind then..." Eiji chuckled.

* * *

The two continued to speak for what seemed like hours. About the small, the great, and anything either found interest in between. Music? News? Even the damn weather? It all suddenly seemed infinitely more interesting. Multiple times during their conversation, Eiji found himself gazing over to his newfound conversational companion.

He just couldn't help but to marvel at how-.. How normal she was.

This Yuna, the one who wasn't putting on some perky act, was someone he could see himself speaking to for hours on end without an issue.

He had no problems speaking with someone as genuinely interesting as this little idol, and for him that was certainly saying something.

Before Eiji knew it the sky had grown amber, the late afternoon sun hanging over the city like an orange shroud. It had almost certainly been several hours, but for Eiji it felt as if it had honestly been no more than a few minutes.

"You're certainly trusting. How do you know I won't blab on social media about all this?" Eiji finally asked once the conversation had finally begun to show signs of dying down.

"You don't look the type." Yuna replied as she leaned back on the bench, blinking up at the twilight sky.

"For blabbing or social media?"

"Both."

Eiji felt a smirk cross his face as he huffed in amusement, "Well, you're right on both fronts. Social media and I have never really gotten along."

"It isn't all bad. Heck, it's practically a direct link with my fans." Yuna grinned, "As you now know."

"That's not always a good thing."

"Yeah... Good comes with the bad. The good ones are always fun to chat with. But I can never talk with them all, not enough time in the day. Plus you have the more fanatical ones, like the guy from the concert."

"I saw that on the livestream." Eiji paused glancing over to give her a nod, "...You handled yourself well."

"Thanks. I feel bad for him though, it must suck..." Yuna sighed sadly, "Like... Chasing some girl dancing around on stage just to get a piece of fabric from her costume. How sad is that?... I just hope there's someone out there for him..."

Eiji felt a whimsical laughter bubble in his throat, but willed himself to keep it contained. Seriously? She was worried? Some guy attacks her on live TV with a sharpened key and she's the one worried for him?

This Yuna girl was unique alright.

"Speaking of which, aren't you cold in that?" Eiji asked in effort to both steer the conversation back on track and to keep himself from laughing at the girl's bizarre state of mind regarding her attacker.

"This?... Oh, nah, I've gotten used to it. Honestly I could even stand it being a little cooler, thing's made half out of silk and half latex so I'm always burning up in it!..."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah!... Have you ever had to wear a costume? It's like trying to move around in Saran Wrap."

"Only for Halloween."

"Come work in music." Despite the small laugh Yuna gave, Eiji could hear no small amount of annoyance laced into her tone, "Every day's Halloween."

"Why? New outfit each day?"

"...Because you always have to wear a mask."

"What?-..." Eiji's inquiry was interupted before it could even begin as his phone suddenly began to blare from his pocket.

Retrieving the device, the young man could barely suppress an annoyed groan as she gazed upon the name emblazoned upon the screen.

"Uh..." He glanced over to a curious looking Yuna, "Sorry, this is my friend; Nezumi... You don't mind if I?..."

"Go ahead." Yuna answered with a smile.

Part of him would later admit he wish he hadn't answered the call.

" _Hey! E-boy! How'd the interview g-..._ " Nezumi's voice trailed off as Eiji activated his video camera function, staring down at the blonde haired gremlin on his phone with a grimace, _"You're outside..."_

"I am..."

 _"Why're you outside?!... Did you get hired?!"_

"I mean, not exactly-..."

" _Not exactly?_!" Nezumi's free hand was thrown up, nearly slamming into the side of the van, looming over her in the background, _"You've only been there for 15 minutes! 15 minutes Eiji! I can't even shove a pizza down my throat in 15 minutes!"_

"That's a visual I didn't need..."

 _"Oh shut up! You had one job you idiot! You had to play nice and introduce yourself to the agent and you screwed it up so badly you're squatting out behind the building like some sort of pathetic hobo gargoyle?!"_

"Nezumi-..."

" _How do you fuck up a hi?! How?!_ "

"You aren't even giving me a chance to explain!..."

" _Explain?! Oh, no I'm sorry! Go on! Explain_!" Nezumi's smile was wild, nearly insane in its nature, " _Explain to me why you're sitting out there! Go on, regale me with the reason we'll all be starving to death tonight, it'll make a nice final bedtime story!"_

"He was just talking with me is all." Yuna suddenly spoke up, a sweet and pleasant tone lacing her words.

Her idol persona had returned in what seemed like an instant.

Eiji found himself blinking in disbelief when Yuna suddenly motioned for him to hand her the phone.

"Oh? And who is me?!" Nezumi's shrill screaming echoed through his phone speaker like nails on a chalk board, "Wanna show-... Ohhh... Oh... Oh holy ramen gods..."

"Hiya!" Yuna greeted as she reached over to tilt the phone towards herself. Each word seemed so cheery and positive, yet to Eiji, who had seen just a glimpse of the girl underneath, her words seemed so forced. So... Fake. "You must be Nezumi, right?"

"Eiji!... Who is this?!" Nezumi seemed far too enthused for Eiji's liking, _"Because if that's who I think it is-..."_

"It is."

 _"Are-.. Are you tellin' me what I think you're telling me?!"_

"No! I mean-..." Eiji found himself glancing over to Yuna once more for assistance.

"I guess you're Eiji's handler?" She asked, evidentially picking up on the young man's plight, "I assume you were calling to see if Eiji here was just hired to be my bodyguard?"

Nezumi merely stared into the camera of her phone, watching the two with a serious vested interest.

"Well-... What do you say?" Yuna smiled and leaned towards Eiji, "Feel like taking up a job dealing with me?"

 _"Nochizawa I swear to God, if you don't say 'yes' I'm breaking your legs when you get home!"_

Eiji chuckled, "Well... Guess that's my answer."

"Great!..."

Yuna's own laughter was infectious. With each giggle that passed from her lips, Eiji felt as if his heart would jump right from his very chest...

God, this was going to be interesting, wasn't it?

"You're hired!"


	5. Chapter 5: Yuna's Decision

Smile for You Chapter 5: Yuna's Decision

* * *

 **Y** **o!** **So I noticed I hadn't updated this story in a bit, so I figured I'd give it this week's 'timeslot'. Hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

"No."

"Huh?!"

"Please, by all that's holy, think about this rationally..." Professor Shigemura looked as if he was about ready to slam his head through his deck, "I mean look at him, he's hardly a giant."

"He's like 7 inches taller than me!" Yuna held her hand up to Eiji's forehead in a clear effort to emphasis the difference.

"That's not the point... Yuna, your bodyguard is supposed to be intimidating and more importantly, he should know how to fight."

"I know how to fight, Sir."

"This isn't street fighting I'm talking about!..." The Professor certainly seemed to have more edge in his voice when talking to him, Eiji noticed, "My Yuna and her friends are Grammy Award winning artists! They deserve more than the best protection, and you and that Kirigaya boy hardly look as if you would fall within those qualifications."

"Mister Shigemura, with all due respect sir, you don't know much about strength verses muscle mass, do you?"

"Excuse me?" The professor found pause just long enough to stop himself from spitting out the insults sitting on the edge of his tongue, "The only reason you're even standing here is because my daughter has taken an interest in you, if it weren't for that-..."

"Actually, it's not interest." Yuna corrected as she casually grabbed Eiji's sleeve, "I've already decided. I want Eiji."

Yuna's father blanched, his eye twitching wildly as his stress seemed to reach a boiling point.

Yet, to his credit, his reaction was not nearly as aggressive as Eiji suspected it would be, "Pumpkin... I understand you don't want a bodyguard, but if this is just some impromptu move to spite my decision please find a different way."

"Weren't you the one who said I could choose any bodyguard I wanted? Well I did. Eiji."

"I meant within reason-..."

"No! You always pull this! You always call something my choice, but at the last second you always pull the rug out under the whole thing and 'choose for me'!" Yuna suddenly snapped, clearly displaying the verbal fangs her father had so expertly held back, "Well not this time! This time I'm choosing, and I'm choosing The Beaters!"

"No. That's not happening."

"Fine." Yuna arced her chin up in a hilariously childish fashion, clearly putting on a show for those present, "Then I'll just fire whoever you do bring on."

The professors hand impacted against the desk, sending a twitch of surprise through Eiji's muscles, "Yuna, if you!-..."

"And then I'll fire their replacement," Her refusal to relent was clear, though anyone foolish enough to miss her tone certainly got the message from the glower she wore, "and I'll keep doing it until I see Eiji's name on the next application!"

Eiji had to admit, it may have been a diva way of doing things, but Yuna could really get her point across when she wanted to.

He wasn't sure if he should've been impressed or worried.

"Sir, I can assure you that we're both fully capable of asset protection." He finally interjected, realizing the situation would only boil over if left to take it's course, "If you have any doubts, then my partner and I are more than willing to undergo any sort of test you'd like laid out for us."

Yuna, meanwhile, raised a curious eyebrow at Eiji's proclamation as she watched him suddenly shift into a parade rest in but an instant.

His mannerisms had turned on their head just as quickly. Gone was the soft spoken, if mildly sarcastic, young man from before.

Now? Now he seemed to exude confidence from every pour, though a clear dose of disdain for the Professor accompanied it.

"Oh you'll have a test alright... Do you know what time of year it is?"

"...Spring, Sir?"

"It's the last week of April. Right?"

"Correct, Sir."

"Do you know what happens the first Monday of May?"

The professor received an answer only in the form of a series of awkward facial contortions from the young man standing before him.

"...The Met Gala."

"Ah. I see."

"..."

"..."

"You have no idea what that is, do you?"

"None at all, Sir."

Mister Shigemura pinched the bridge of his nose, audibly clicking his tongue in clear frustration. God, he didn't have time for this. He had so much to do, and his plans didn't involve some foolhardy groupie playing bodyguard!

"It's basically a big party where A-Listers go to flaunt themselves." Yuna spoke up in place of her father, leaning over into Eiji's line of sight, "It's our second year there. Last year was a bit crazy; so it'd be pretty cool to have a chaperone this time around!"

Chaperone? What was this girl on about?

He knew he was supposed to be a bodyguard. He knew how to do that. Watch the HVT from a viable vantage point, keep an eye out for unknown variables, and eliminate or subdue any hostile that made itself known.

But a chaperon? A chaperone would no doubt be, well... Chaperoning.

And one couldn't exactly act as a chaperone from a distance, which meant that-...

"Wipe that stupid confused look off your face, you look like a lost orphan!..." The Professor's burst of anger thrusted Eiji back into the situation with such speed the young man was relatively sure he'd just discovered a new form of mental whiplash.

"Sorry, Sir."

"Enough with the 'Sir'!

"Yessir."

...

"At any rate... You two'll be chaperoning Yuna and the rest of the band during the event. If anything- and I mean anything- intends them harm, you and your friend will be the ones that step in the way. Are we clear?"

Eiji nodded, silently praying his face didn't betray his clear surprise as he exclaimed; "Sir, I can assure you that my friend and I are used to situations like this. We can manage whatever you throw at us."

"Sure you are, kid..."

"Well, then it's decided! Everyone's getting along now, right?" Yuna clapped her hands together, casting a bright smile over the room, "Cuz I gotta get back to practice!..."

"We'll be fine, Pumpkin; go on."

Yuna nodded before glancing towards Eiji, her ruby red eyes dancing over his form like a child evaluating a prospective new toy.

Though, in all fairness, that might not have been all that far from the truth.

"See you later Eiji!..."

"Yeah. Look forward to working with you."

"Yeah, me too." Yuna offered up one last cheery grin before sauntering out of the room with all the grace Eiji had come to expect from her in their short time together.

She was... Certainly something.

"Ahem..."

"Hmm?" Eiji's gaze snapped back to the Professor, "You were saying?"

"You'll report to the Head of Security so we can get you registered into our systems, and-..."

"So we're not the Heads of Security?"

"No, of course not. We've had a group of bodyguards for some time now, you're just more... Involved. Your job is more autonomous, since you'll be accompanying Yuna and her friends directly. Think of yourselves as the Pretorians of our security. You'll still be operating under the Head of Security on paper, but at the end of the day my daughter and her bandmates have the final say in terms of your role."

Eiji's only response was curt nod.

"Well, before we conclude this-..." A pastel envelope was slammed on the table with all the grace of a bull in a china shop, "Here."

"Erm, what's this for sir?..."

"Just because my daughter feels like being difficult about her choice of bodyguard doesn't mean that I don't still want the best possible outcome I can still possibly get from this." Mister Shigemura grumbled, adjusting his glasses, "You're to use that money to procure yourselves the necessary 'equipment' you'll need to fulfill this role, and that's all. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal."

"Good. Then get out."

* * *

"He was a dick."

Eiji's exclamation came along with a loud clang as a rusty old can sailed across the parking lot of the studio, impacting against a nearby complex with an almost equally obnoxious sound.

"Can't argue with that." Kazuto mumbled. While he hadn't been present for the meeting, he'd certainly heard tales the vitriol being flung in both directions from Yuna when she had returned to the dance studio where he and Asuna has found themselves.

"Jeez... Talk about a helluva day..."

"No kidding... I feel like we've run a marathon..."

"Could be worse, right?"

Kirito chuckled as he pulled his raven black coat up over his shoulders, shielding himself from the crisp spring air, "Right."

A serene bliss overtook the two friends in that moment, giving way to the distant sounds of traffic and chaos that they'd grown oh-so accustom to.

This was peace to them. Pure serenity. No words need be spoken between them.

But of course, where was the fun in that?

"So what's Asuna like?"

It took every ounce of Eiji's willpower to not shoot a sarcastic grin at Kazuto's expression.

"She's, uh, nice?"

"Yeah, I gathered." He shoved his hands in his pockets, "What's she like though?"

"I dunno... What's Yuna like?"

Erk.

It felt as if magma had rushed up into Eiji's face, "...Ass."

"I know, right?"

Eiji was quick to open his mouth, a response locked and loaded, ready to go, only to be stopped short at the sound of his name being called from across the parking lot.

"Eiji!" It was her again.

Running towards them, still in her haphazardly thrown together uniform, with her technicolor hair flowing behind her like a beautifully crafted cape. As she skidded to a stop beside the two, she let out an loud gasp, though it was accompanied by a soft giggle.

"Hey!... Jeez, you guys are faster than you look!"

"Something wrong?"

"No! No, I just completely forgot. Here," Two sheets of old notebook paper were shoved into their hands, "Me and Asuna's numbers."

"Why didn't your father give us these?" Eiji mumble as he scanned the string of numbers, looming over an oversized 'Y', "Seems like a pretty large oversight."

"Oh, he doesn't know you have'm yet!" Yuna hummed, "Our Security Head'll probably give you guys our business numbers but-..."

She winked.

"Nothing wrong with being friends on the side, right?"

She winked. At him.

No; he couldn't let himself get worked up over something so trivial. It was all just part of her idol persona. She did it to everyone. She did it to the reporter, she no doubt did it when she was on stage. That's all it was; just her idol pers-...

Wait, why did he even care? God, he sounded like a fanboy!

"Alright, see ya guys!"

And with that she was gone, like a ghost in the fog.

"...She's interesting, huh?" Kazuto's call prodded for Eiji's attention after what seemed like an eternity of silence.

"Yeah..."

"I guess today wasn't too horrible, huh?" The raven haired man chuckled as he pocketed his slip of paper.

"Don't jinx us."

"What?"

"Every time you say something like that, one of us ends up getting hurt." Eiji pointed out with a sneer.

"C'mon man, it's not like-..."

And like the clocktower bell's toll, a loud, almost primal sound slammed against their ears; a low, ominous growl that echoed down to their very souls.

"..."

"...You jinxed us."

Those were the last words exchanged between the two friends before a bush was found; and lunches were freed...


End file.
